Underneath all of Endless Frontier's flashy action lies a surprisingly deep RPG with an innovative battle system.
Platform - Nintendo DS
Publisher - Atlus, Namco Bandai
Developer - Monolith Soft, Banpresto
Release Date - April 28, 2009
Genre - Role Playing Game
ESRB -T (Teen)
I am ashamed to have never played a Super Robot Taisen game before, or even the Xenosaga trilogy. Why? Not only because they're supposed to be awesome games, but also because in Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier there appears to be a lot of fan service. That's not to say that newcomers will be lost. No no no, Endless Frontier is far from one of those "only for the fans" titles. I was shocked within the first couple of hours. There are two things that someone can notice right away when they seeing footage of this game. The first would be that it looks pretty perverted, and I won't lie, it is, but there's more to it than that. The plot unravels into an interesting, if somewhat underdeveloped concept. And the characters, while only serious 50% of the time, are a likeable bunch. The second thing would be the intense action. There's no doubt about it, the action in this game is some of the coolest ever on a handheld, or in gaming for that matter. It makes the game look like it isn't an RPG in the first place. Both of these parts would make it seem like one of those games with "all flash, no substance", but there is more there, trust me. Now I can't say that Endless Frontier's story is going to blow people away. It most likely won't, but it's still impressive when looking at the wacky cast of characters to deal with. The main character who looks like a cowboy is Haken, but his looks are probably the only thing that associates him with a cowboy (maybe, not sure). It all revolves around different worlds that are connected through these portals, and you're basically exploring the new areas you find while coming across the truth behind some things, including a couple of characters' pasts.
The story is not why Endless Frontier stands out though. By far, the battle system is one of the best I have ever seen. It's exhilarating, complex, and rarely tiresome. The combination of real-time and turn-based systems flow very nicely. Getting the correct timing is very important and improvising or experimenting is necessary as well, which is uncommon in most RPGs. The battle system is turn-based for which characters get to act, but the real-time comes in when it's a character's turn. Each character has 100% of COM which depletes when attacking. Depending on how much COM goes down depends on which attack you do. You are allowed to do 5 attacks per turn, and can do whatever 5 you choose. Chaining these attacks so that the enemy is always in the air results in more damage. There is also a system called "Forced Evasion" which is probably the only part of the battle system that I don't like. When an enemy is close to the ground, an exclamation mark appears which allows them to do a Forced Evasion maneuver. This halts all of your commands and ends your turn immediately. It adds some more depth, and I understand why it's there, but it just really annoyed me. Not to mention only the enemies have the ability to do it. Another thing that annoyed me were the boss battles. You are completely healed after growing a level, and the game takes advantage of this by having boss battles so close to each other. They're uninteresting too because they're just like a regular battle but 10x as long, which is tiresome. All in all, the battle system is one of the best I have seen in the genre, and truly one that I would like to see used again and improved upon. Honestly, it's worth getting the game for this alone.
Everything else is all a bit average and what to expect. Some of the music is great, and some not so great. Bundled with the game (or at least the copy I received) is the soundtrack, and all the tracks are of higher quality than how they sound on the DS. So that's good, but there are only 10 tracks, so...there really isn't anything to brag about here. The graphics are very much like a GBA game, yet during battles they always seem to impress me with their fluid animations. Voice acting is very good, and surprisingly high quality. None of it is in English, but that's okay with me. Unfortunately, the game lacks some polish. Don't get me wrong, it's a finished product. It works, and there are no glitches or bugs, but it doesn't reach that superior level in as many areas as I would have hoped.
What I liked:
+innovative and superb battle system
+some unique characterization
+nice variety in the cast of characters and fan service
+fluid animations to provide flow to battles
+many battle themes, most of which are awesome
+decent enough storyline
+good length (took me about 35 hours which was when it just started to feel tiresome)
+high quality voice acting
+witty and amusing dialogue (great job Atlus USA!)
+a ton of fun and improvisation within the frantic and action-packed battles
What I disliked:
-occasionally feels like a lackluster and generic RPG
-99% of the jokes are perverted and get old quickly
-boss battles are too frequent
-boss battles are bland and just a chore
-lack of saving points (or save anywhere feature)
-missing some menu features (such as viewing what stats go up and down when buying equipment)
Random Comments
~Haken is definitely one of my favorite characters now. I call him the "Cowboy Dante" because of how he looks and that he has to seem like a badass when fighting.
~When I think about it, the soundtrack is actually quite good (and catchy). It deserves more credit than I gave it.
Obligatory (?) Score - 8.3/10
Endless Frontier is one of those games that I find difficult to describe. It is a very average RPG, yet it is also very different and stands out from the rest. I'm sure fans of Xenosaga and the Super Robot Taisen series would enjoy the fan service put into here, but then again the gameplay is nowhere near other games of the series. However, to RPG fans, I say give it a shot. There is no denying the exceptional quality of the battle system. It truly is one of the greatest that I have seen, and once again, I would love to see it improve. If the innovative battle system doesn't convince you then maybe the over-the-top action does...or if all else fails, perhaps the comic relief. Seriously though, Endless Frontier is one of those games to try. Maybe not a must-buy, or one that belongs in the RPG Hall of Fame, but at least one to be tried and given some attention.
If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
Thank you for reading,
~Vari